1. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions :
On the bank of a river, there was a tall and sturdy oak tree. Near that oak tree, some
reeds had grown on the ground. The reeds were weak and slender. Whereas the
oak tree looked huge and stout. The tree was very much proud of his size and
strength. He often ridiculed the weak reeds. One day the oak tree boasted,
“Look, how strong I am! I can resist the powerful wind without bowing down
before it. But you reeds are so weak that you can not even sustain the soft breeze
and start trembling with fear. The tree continued with his boastful talk, “I
am so strong that I can block the way of the wind, whereas you weak vegetations
bow down even before the gentle blow of the wind. After hearing enough from the
oak tree, the reeds said humbly,” Of course we are weak in front of the strong wind
and so we pay our respect to the wind by bowing down in front of it. I think that you
should also sometimes bow down in front of the powerful wind.”The arrogant tree
laughed aloud, “Ha, Ha! I am not a reed who bows down to all and everyone. I’m a
stout oak tree who never bends.” The wind which had been hearing the tree’s
arrogant talk since long, couldn’t tolerate it anymore. It blew so hard that the tall and
sturdy oak tree was uprooted and thrown on the ground. However, the weak and
slender reeds survived because they bowed to save themselves from the strong
wind blow. It shows that how humility always wins.
a) Name the tall and sturdy tree on the bank of the river?
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b) How did the tree ridicule the weak reeds?
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c) What was the reply of the reeds?
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d) What happened to the arrogant tree at last?
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e) Find the antonyms of the given words from the passage:
i) humble -
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ii) strong-
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f) What moral do you get from the passage?
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Answers
a)Name the tall and sturdy tree on the bank
of the river?
Answer: The tall and sturdy tree on the bank of the river was an oak tree.
b) How did the tree ridicule the weak reeds?
Answer: The tree ridiculed the weak reeds by boasting about its strength and
their weakness. It gloated saying it could withstand the powerful wind whereas
the reeds bowed in front of the strong wind.
c) What was the reply of the reeds?
Answer: The reeds replied humbly that they
bowed to the strong wind out of respect. They also advised him to do the same.
d) What happened to the arrogant tree at last?
Answer: The arrogant oak tree was uprooted and thrown on the ground by the
strong wind.
e) Find the antonyms of the given words from the passage:
i) humble – arrogant
ii) strong-weak
f) What moral do you get from the passage?
Answer: Pride hath a fall. Humility is rewarded.
Answer:
How is the Oak ?
a) weak
b) sturdy
c) short